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TRP: Larkin and Mishka (Dragon in Hand, Foot in Mouth)
Day 268, after Criminal Reunion. It was so good to have Azriel close and safe, and Larkin would've clung to him all evening. As it was, they decided they should at least try to pull their weight in the camp-making, and after a few more minutes they broke apart to find something to do. Larkin wandered over to where most of the others were busying themselves. She couldn't see Goro, though. He'd likely taken off and was sulking somewhere... down the beach, maybe, or in the forest. Maybe he just needed alone time but he'd looked so upset before... eh, he could tell her to fuck off it he really didn't want her company. Larkin would go check on her cousin. She decided to go for the big rocks around the bend of the beach first. COYOTE Mishka couldn’t find that fucking dragon anywhere. He snuck off— briefly— back to the Sanctuary to check around for her, slipping invisibly over the wall to check around inside. Her bed where he’d left her was empty; he hadn’t dared take her to Blackwater Isle. Then he’d spotted her flying over the Sanctuary and towards the beach, so he’d scrambled after her. “Darling,” he called softly. “Sweetheart— your highness— my queen— where are you, precious? C’mere, I won’t hurt you.” He heard movement past some big rocks. “Aha,” he said as he rounded the corner. “There you are, my lovely princess—“ Oh. It was Larkin. Mishka frowned at her. JEN Something moved behind the rock Larkin had stopped at, then Haeth appeared in her face. He looked at her with a frown and Larkin returned the expression. "The fuck you just called me?" COYOTE Eh, if she was gonna stab him, he was already fucked. Might as well lean into it. “My princess. My sweet cupcake,” Mishka said. He reached to pinch her cheeks, then thought better of it. JEN Larkin swatted at his hand. "What? What is wrong with you?" COYOTE “Loads,” Mishka said. “Honestly, I don’t want to get into it right now. Listen, darling. Have you seen a small black dragon around here? Vicious little bitch, love her to death. I last saw her cornering a small black bear, but she flew off before I could catch her.” JEN Fucking darling. Larkin scoffed and turned to go but stopped after one step. "I haven't seen your dragon. You seen Goro?" COYOTE “Safe. With Hansel.” JEN "Oh." She hadn't expected an actual, helpful answer. "Well. Good." COYOTE Nearby, there was a small shriek. A small black dragon scampered down the cliffside. She stopped about twenty feet up. “Oh, damn it,” Mishka said. He whistled at her. “Hey, you! You bitch! Get down here!” The dragon settled down to watch him from above, narrow-eyed. Now that she’d found him, she seemed content to just watch over him. JEN "Well, there you go," Larkin commented. She lifted a hand and gave a little wave, then turned to go. COYOTE “Hey,” Mishka said, eyeing her as she went. “What’s your deal, anyhow?” JEN Larkin stopped again and turned. "My deal?" COYOTE “Aye, yeah, your fucking deal,” Mishka said. He peeled off his fine shoes and took off his cloak. He set his clothes aside, daintily, on the driest and cleanest boulder he could find. The dragon hissed at him from above, which was adorable. JEN Man. What was her deal? What was his fucking deal? Larkin had no patience for this shit. She flapped her arms against her sides. "Can you, like, just fucking say what you want?" COYOTE “So temperamental,” Mishka said. “Must be all that demon blood.” He started climbing the rocks. “I just mean— y’know, why are you fucking here? Saving the Sanctuary, beating back the orc army, all that shit. I never get you.” JEN "Well. I mean." She shrugged. "Mostly 'cause of Goro. Y'know, making sure he doesn't bite it." Even though she didn't seem to be doing such a good job with that lately. "What about you?" COYOTE Mishka held out his hand to tick off fingers. “One: Fuck Gruumsh. Two: Joan won’t go home and quit. She threw things at my head when I tried to talk to her about it. Three, Raef wants to kill that orc chieftain fellow, and I’d like to help him. Four...” Mishka hummed absentmindedly. “I haven’t got a fourth one. I just don’t like war very much. Disruptive.” He made a swipe at the dragon, who stared at him, affectionately amused. “Hey,” he said. “What are you doing now that Uncle Dearest fucked off, anyhow?” JEN Larkin squinted a bit at those reasons. None of them were about Goro or Hansel throwing themselves into this. Eh, maybe she was too harsh. The reasons he'd named were decent enough. Larkin shrugged again. She came a few steps closer and leaned against a rock. "Got my own thing going. Skyport's short some really big fish now, so. Gotta change that." She grinned. COYOTE Mishka swiped at the dragon again. It was raining lightly, and his grip slipped on the rocks. He toppled backwards. He hit the ground with an oof. He rolled the way Elitash taught him, years ago, taking the fall on his shoulder and hip and then rolling away with minor injuries. He sat up and dusted himself off. The dragon chirupped at him. “Oh, fuck you,” Mishka said. JEN "You want me to help you there?" Larkin asked when she was done stifling her laughter. Mikhail Haeth falling off a rock. Almost as good as seeing Azriel again. COYOTE Mishka picked himself up with dignity. “Please, Corellon, yes. I excel at many things. Acrobatics? Not one of them. Get me on a rigging and I’m just fine, but this bullshit—“ He gestured to the rocks and made a disgusted noise. JEN "Sure." Larkin turned and climbed up the rock she'd been leaning to, then hopped over to the one Haeth had just tumbled off. From there it was easy enough to use the weathered rock face for hand and footholds. She climbed it until she was right beneath the black dragon, who watched and chirped. Just as Larkin made a grab for its tail, though, it flapped its wings and hopped up higher on the cliff face. "Oh, come on," Larkin muttered and tried again, with the same results. COYOTE Mishka cupped his hands around his mouth. “She bites,” he called helpfully. “She’s a vicious little motherfucker, honestly. Teeth like needles. I’m thinking about naming her after you.” JEN Larkin turned her head just long enough to sneer at him. The dragon had flapped over sideways and, for the lack of any good handholds, Larkin had to take a leap over to the little outcrop it sat on. She caught the edge and pulled herself up, coming eye-level with the little beast who sat still chirping and eyeing her curiously. Larkin reached out a hand and the fucker sank its teeth in. COYOTE The dragon gnawed on her hand, then, seeming satisfied, crawled along her arm onto her shoulders and back. She sank her claws into Larkin to get a good foothold, then hunkered down comfortably, purring in Larkin’s ear. JEN "Ow!" Larkin reached around to try and get the dragon off her back but it only dug in deeper. Larkin hissed. "Your little damn cupcake it fucking mauling me up here!" She called down to Haeth. COYOTE “I know,” Mishka said. “I love her.” JEN Larkin made her way back down growling and cursing under her breath while the dragon on her shoulder tore and at her hair and nipped her ear. Once she had firm ground beneath her feet, Larkin turned her back to Heath and jerked a thumb his direction. "Here. Now get her off." COYOTE Mishka gently pulled the dragon off her, delicately picking her claws out of Larkin's clothes "Toda raba, comrade. Many thanks." The dragon, overall, was not a pretty creature. Some of her scales were gray rather than black, giving her a speckled and uneven look, and she had several ugly little scars. Mishka had not picked her out right away; he'd left her with the other pseudodragons in the hydra nest, then come back later because he was curious. Two of her siblings had kicked her out of the nest and tried to eat her. Mishka kissed the top of her head. "Hello, precious. Yes, I came back for you, didn't I? Mhm." She crawled onto his shoulders and settled around his neck, flexing her claws. JEN "Uh-huh. Yeah. That was unpleasant." Larkin scowled. She patted her shoulder and her fingers came away bloody. "Great," she muttered, then sighed. "Anyway. Where're you piping your cargo through now that Renar's gone anyway? You still in the business, or..." She tilted her head at him. COYOTE Mishka briefly considered offering her a healing potion, then elected not to. Waste of resources. They could just get one of the healers to patch up the cuts free of cost. He wondered, idly, if that pretty little tiefling bard of hers could heal at all. Azriel. “Nowhere,” Mishka said. He perched on a boulder and stuck his feet in the surf, enjoying the way the water swirled around them. “My smuggling days might be over. Takes too much time. Too much care. Also, y’know—“ He idly flicked his hand in Joan’s direction, down the beach. “The missus doesn’t appreciate my criminal activities. Such a pity. I do miss it.” He glanced at Larkin sidelong. JEN She snorted. "And here I thought you were a fucking pirate. Terror of the seas and shit. Well, enjoy your retirement I guess." COYOTE “Yes. Gosh, if only I could... do crime with someone... hm, someone experienced, perhaps the last remaining heir to a recently fallen criminal empire... if only,” Mishka said. “Too bad. Well, thank you for saving my dragon. Suppose I owe you a favor. Maybe if you ever need anything done— anybody knocked off, anything swiped or stolen, maybe you need to talk to somebody, maybe you need to get something somewhere— I could help, maybe.” JEN "Uh... are you hinting at something?" COYOTE “I’m bored,” Mishka said bluntly. “I bet I could help you with your business.” Skyport was in a weird situation at the moment; there was a power vacuum. Renar Basha was gone. Morgan Wyn was dead. Crime was low for the first time in decades. But it wouldn’t last. Eventually a new king would step up— or try to, at least. Best case scenario, a new criminal empire would arise. Worst case scenario... gang wars. “I’ve got some ideas,” Mishka said. “Suppose it depends on your flavor of crime. How far d’you wanna get into this? You looking to run an empire like your uncle?” JEN "Ha. Now we're talking." Larkin grinned, then gave a little shake of her head. "Nah, though. I mean... eh. It's so much work. Renar had it all, pretty much, but he was constantly done. I just wanna... y'know. Make money and fuck shit up on occasion. Preferably not die while I do it. Why, what's on your mind?" COYOTE “Just passing thoughts,” Mishka said idly. “Y’know— the original reason that I learned that teleportation circle trick was to smuggle drugs between Calimport and Skyport, decades ago. But then it turned out it was a lot more profitable to just do it by ship— and, y’know, take down merchant vessels on the way.” Mishka toyed with the spinner in his pocket. “It wouldn’t be that hard to build a market that way. Bring in a lot of gold. It’s not just drugs, though— certain luxury goods are heavily taxed going in and out of certain city-states. You can make bank moving legal goods and just ducking the taxes.” He shrugged and looked away. “I have that teleportation circle back at my estate. Unwatched. Unguarded. Ah, it was just a passing thought. I’m not sure you’re interested in that kind of business.” JEN Larkin nodded along with his explanations. That circle in his house could definitely be useful. Dangerous, if someone were to abuse it; but definitely useful. "Smuggling is how Renar started out," she said slowly. "He never dealt in drugs though. Too much hassle, he said. Besides... he wanted his territory clean and the locals happy. Have 'em on his side, y'know, and if their kids got into trouble, then it should be working for him and not choking on some bad shit." Larkin had always agreed with that. Not that she'd had much of a say in the matter but still. The way Renar ran the locals was always something, and half the secret to his success. She only suspected it wouldn't work out that way for her and Finch. "I don't care, really. Drugs are good money, and there are no big fish in the game yet. Could be worth the while." COYOTE Mishka folded his legs against his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs, and rested his chin on top. He regarded her. The thing was, if Mishka could get involved in the criminal underworld again, that could be quite useful. Suppose he worked with Larkin, helped her expand her business a little... and fed information about Larkin's rivals to Joan. Joan didn't have to know what was going on. She didn't have to know about Mishka's criminal activities, or the fact he had his fingers in smuggling or law-breaking again. Either way, Joan would pick Larkin's enemies off, one by one, not knowing she was helping them. Joan would clean up crime in the city and make a name for herself again. That would look good. Larkin's business would expand, if she was interested in that, and that would be good, too. And Mishka would be allies with both of them. He liked that. Fancied it. He didn't say anything, just brooded a bit, staring at the water that swirled around the rock. Finally, he said, "Maybe not drugs. Calimport has a problem with opiates in some areas, which I don't care for, frankly. But other things." Mishka's fingers played on his leg. JEN Larkin shrugged. "Not drugs then." He didn't have to be involved in that, anyway. The idea was good. Larkin would run it by Finch as soon as she was back. "We could go for pelts and skins. Teeth. Bones. Taxes on those are insane." COYOTE "Mm. Y'know what we could do? Is your uncle in Calimport?" JEN Larkin winced. "He is, but... we haven't had contact." COYOTE Mishka watched her face, a little surprised. He vaguely had the idea it might be nice-- or interesting-- to team up with her uncle again. Especially since the man was getting old. Let Renar build up a business on his side, then have someone easy to control take it over when he croaked. That would be nice. "Rex is trying to build an empire," Mishka said. "Part of that is, they're trying to become self-sufficient. Any goods, even normal goods, coming in from other states and nations are heavily taxed. Suppose we contacted your uncle and started passing him goods to sell." He watched her face, curious. Would she be willing to contact him? JEN She crossed her arms, looking aside and scowling. "Yeah. Yeah." Larkin sighed. "I'm gonna be honest. Renar and I haven't... eh, well, he's fucking ditched me, alright? I'd really fucking love to make some cash with Calimport but, y'know, he might not be fucking inclined to." COYOTE Mishka nodded slowly. He kept watching her face. "Y'know what might be fun?" JEN "What?" COYOTE "Hmm. Well. Suppose I went to your uncle and said I had great news, my business in Skyport was doing very well, and offered to partner up with him. And then I passed smuggled good through him, and he didn't know you were involved. And then, after a few years..." JEN Larkin waved it off. "He's gonna find out." Which didn't mean he would fucking care, but... the idea of her trying to fuck over Renar and failing, and him being as disappointed as he would be... COYOTE "Let him find out. Bet it would take him a few months," Mishka said, amused. "Then maybe, since he's such an old man, he dies of a heart attack, see. Or maybe he dies of something else, like atropine poisoning, and everyone thinks it's a heart attack. Y'know, there's odds fevers going around Calimport, sometime. Maybe he catches one." Ha, that was probably too far. JEN "Haeth," Larkin said slowly. "If I hear something like that happens to Renar, you and I are gonna have a talk." COYOTE "Fair enough," Mishka said, amused. "Just thought I'd offer." He watched her. "Y'know, Renar..." He paused there, not sure whether he ought to say it. JEN Larkin rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Motherfuckers. You don't have to fucking like Renar to make good business with him. And he is a good business man." COYOTE Mishka nodded. "Mm." JEN "What? Say it." COYOTE "Renar always spoke very highly of you," Mishka said. "He liked all the things you did for him, y'know. He loved how hard you worked for him." He tried to make it sound like a compliment. JEN Well, wasn't that... fucking great. Didn't change the fact that he hadn't treated her like it. Or that he'd just gone and left her behind. Larkin didn't say anything. Just kept looking aside down the beach. COYOTE Larkin looked... oddly hurt, or annoyed, somehow. Which meant his compliment cut her. She was angry at Renar. But also still protecting him. Mishka filed that information away. "Y'know, I bet he would let you come back and work for him again. He probably just doesn't trust you right now because you're loyal to too many outside people." Mishka kept examining his nails. JEN "I know," she snapped, annoyed at the fact that Haeth sounded like he had a fucking point. "Anyway," she continued before he could say anything more, "tax evasion. We were talking about fucking tax evasion." COYOTE Mishka decided to be a dick. "I'm just saying," Mishka said. He scritched his dragon under the chin. "I bet he's just worried, see. You used to be such a loyal pet for him, and now you've gone and made friends. Awfully selfish of you. Did you even consider the way that might make poor Renar feel? Renar, who raised you? Why, you owe your whole existence to him." JEN Larkin tilted her head. She took a breath, then another one. When she was sure she wouldn't snap, she said, "The fuck is your problem, Haeth?" COYOTE "He'd probably take you back with open arms if you just shanked Finch in his sleep or something. Or Goro. You know how strict Renar is. It'd probably take that level of loyalty." JEN "Yeah, I don't know why I fucking talked to you." Larkin scoffed. "What do you want, huh? What's this-" she waved a hand at him, "Supposed to accomplish?" COYOTE Mishka decided to be blunt. "Why do you give a fuck about Renar? Why do you give a fuck if someone kills him? He was just using you, woman. You ought to be loyal to Goro and Finch." He slid off the rock. "You don't owe Renar jack shit. If someone tossed you in a gutter when you were a kid-- or raised you in a nunnery-- or spoiled you as a noble-- or if Kheman raised you-- you would've come out equally tough." JEN "I don't need to fucking justify myself. I got my damned reasons and they're none of your fucking business." She jabbed a finger in his direction. "Besides- what's it to you, huh? Why would you fucking care?" COYOTE "Because," Mishka said, caught off-guard. "I--" Because Renar is wrong for you, Mishka thought to himself. Because I let someone use me for a long time and it fucked me up. Because I want to make sure you stay on our side and don't go crawling back to your pathetic uncle. Because he's not as smart as you think, and you're better than that. You're vicious and cut-throat and practical, and you remind me of Corven and Elitash, a little, and I like you. It occurred to Mishka, in that exact moment, that this was not how you made friends with people. Which was an extremely startling thought, because he had not, until that exact moment, realized he was trying to be friends with Larkin. "Uh," Mishka said. He couldn't keep the horrified expression off his face. "Uh." JEN "Yeah." Larkin sneered, showing teeth. "Thought so. Now, if you don't have any more niceties you wanna throw at me, fucking excuse me, yeah?" She jammed her hands into her pockets and turned away. COYOTE "Uh," Mishka said. He was so taken aback he apologized. "Sorry--" Why was he apologizing? Did he feel bad? Oh, god. He did. He felt bad. "Sorry," Mishka said again, as she left. "Thanks for, uh. Dragon. I mean-- thanks for getting." Nope, still not right. "Thanks for getting my dragon." Yep, that was it. And then he was so embarrassed he snatched up his dragon and cracked away without his clothes. end Category:Text Roleplay